Money

One of the common gods that people literally worship without fully realizing it is money. Now let's take a moment and really think about it. When we worship someone or something we put our efforts towards that thing and we make sacrifices for it. 

Now money in itself is not the problem. What becomes a problem is that God has asked that we forsake the world and seek after the truth. Now it is a reality that we do need to work to obtain a living and that money is the means of exchange that we typically use. That is part of our reality. 

But the problem is that many people put emphasis on what money can do and what money represents. In our society those that have more money can not only buy more and buy more freely, but they also possess a certain amount of respect and prestige among the world. Money represents a power. Those that have money can control and govern over others. But perhaps I can clarify the problem by asking some questions. Does a person who happens to possess more money also possess character traits like God?  Does he possess love, faith, hope, gratitude, patience?  Is he noble and honorable?  Is he honest and trustworthy?  Wealth is something the world values and respects. But it is not something that God respects and it is not something that makes us better people. 

Many will argue that you need to be successful financially to better serve God. But the reality is that the pursuit of money always takes us away from God. God has commanded that we have no other Gods before Him. If our focus is drawn away to the acquisition of wealth, we are placing wealth before God. And that love of wealth and what it can do for us is the problem I am getting at here. Serve God first, and stop pursuing money.